Railway switch operating apparatus



Oct. 16, 1934. H. BQNE ET AL 1,976,830

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Filed April 27, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 1IN VEN TORS Herbert L.BOIZ and THEIR A TTORNEY Oct. 16, 1934. H. BONE ETAL 1,976,830

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING API ARATUS Filed.April 27, 1955 I 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Herbert L .3012? and Fig y William GMWlzimep.

THEIR AT TORNE Patented Got. 16, 1934 RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS,Herbert L. Bone, Swissvale, and William C. McWhirter, Wilhinsburg, Pa,assignors to The Union Switch & Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa, acorporation of Pennsylvania Application April 27, 1933, Serial No.668,198

17 Claims.

Our invention relates to railway switch operating apparatus, andparticularly to manually controlled switch operating apparatus forswitches of the type which are designed to be trailed. a

One object of our invention is to provide novel means whereby a switchof the type described may be positively locked in its normal positionfor facing point moves over the switch but will become automaticallyunlocked when a train trails the switch.

We will describe one form of apparatus embodying our inventicnand willthen point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing arailway switch provided with one form of switch operating mechanismembodying our invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in sectionand partly in elevation of the operating mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line IEIII of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of theseveral views.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the reference character A designates arailway switch comprising, as usual, two fixed rails 1 and 1 and twomovable rails 2 and 2 The fixed rails 1 and 1 are laid on tie plates 3and are secured to crossties 4 in the usual manner. The movable rails 2and 2 ar fastened together by a front rod '5, a head rod 6, a bridle rod'7 and a tie rod 8, and may be moved into a normal or reverse positionby means of an operating rod 9 which is connected 'with the head rod 6through the medium of the usual switch basket 10. When the switchoccupies its normal position in which it is shown in Fig. l, the movablerail 2 engages the fixed rail 1, and the movable rail 2 is spaced aslight distance from the fixed rail 1 When the switch is reversed,however, the movable rail 2 then engages the fixed rail 1 and themovable rail 2 is spacedfrom the fixed rail 1.

Associated with the switch A is a switch operating mechanism Bcomprising a main casing 11 which is bolted or spiked to the ties 4adjacent the outer side of the rail 1, and an auxiliary casing 12 whichis bolted to the left-hand end of the casing 11. The main casing 11 ispro vided with a removable cover 13, while the auxiliary casing 12 isprovided with a removable cover 14. a y

Extending downwardly through the main casing 11 is a rotatable spindleor switch actuating shaft 16, and attached to the lower end of thisshaft is an adjustable crank 17 which is pivotally connected with thepreviously described operating rod 9, the parts being so proportionedthat rotation of the shaft 16 through an angle of approximately 90 willmove the switch between its normal and reverse positions.

The l of the shaft 16, that is, the portion the casing 11, is maderound, and is journaled in a bearing 18 provided in the bottom of thecasing 11, and in a star bio-cl; which in turn, is journaled in abearing 20 formed in the top of the casing 11. The portion of the shaft16 above the top of the bloc bearing, however, made square and has asomewhat smaller cross-sectional area than the lower portion of theshaft.

Secured to the square portion of the shaft 16 is a square sleeve 21, andslidably mounted on this sleeve is an outer sleeve 22 which is providedwith a square opening to receive the inner sleeve so that both sleevesand the shaft are constrained to rotate together.

When the outer sleeve 22 occupies its 1owermost position on the innersleeve, in which position it is shown in the drawings, a squared portion23 formed on the lower end of the outer sleeve enters a squared recessor socket 24.- formed in the upper end of the star block 19, and underthese conditions, the outer sleeve, and hence the shaft 16, is connectedwith the star block, so that any rotation of the shaft will causecorresponding rotation of the star block. When, however, the outersleeve 22 is moved to an upper position on the inner sleeve, the squaredportion 23 on the lower end of the outer sleeve becomes disengaged fromthe socket 24 in the star block, and the two sleeves and the shaft arethen free to: rotate as a unit independently or" the star block.

The outer sleeve 22 is arranged to be moved between its two extremepositions by means of a hand lever 27 which also serves as a means forrotating the switch actuating shaft 15 between its two extremepositions. This lever is bifurcated at one end, and the bifurcationsthereof are disposed on opposite sides of a squared por tion formed atthe upper end of the outer sleeve, and are pivoted at their free ends ona pin 28 mounted in a lug 29 formed on the inner sleeve 21. Eachbifurcation extends between a pair of lugs 30 which are secured to theassociated side of the outer sleeve 22, only one pair of lugs beingvisible in the drawings. The parts are so proportioned that when thelever 2'7 is rotated about the pin 23 to the depending position in whichit is shown in the drawings, the outer sleeve 22 will be moved to itslowermost position on the inner sleeve, but that, when the lever isrotated about the pin 28 to a substantially horizontal position, theouter sleeve-will then be moved to its upper position on the innersleeve. It follows that the switch actuating shaft 16 will be connectedwith, or disconnected from, the star block 19 according as the lever 27occupies its depending or its horizontal position, and that, when theGil lever occupies its horizontal position, the shaft 16 may be rotatedbetween its two extreme positions to move the switch points totheircorrespending extreme positions by rotating the lever about the axis ofthe shaft, Without causing rotation of the star block.

When the hand lever 27 occupies its depending position, which positionis its normal position, it may be locked in this position by placing apadlock 51 or other suitable locking device through a hole 52 formed inthe outer end of a lug 52 which is fastened to the outer sleeve 22, andwhich passes through a suitable slot 53 in the lever 27.

A. suitable signal, here shown as a pair of vanes 31, positioned. 90with respect to each other in plan view, is fastened to the upper end ofthe switch actuating shaft 16, and serves to accurately indicate at alltimes the position of the switch.

The star block 19 is constantly biased to the position in which it isshown in the drawings by means of two biasing devices 32 and 33 whichare disposed on opposite sides of the star blocl; best seen in 3. Thesebiasing devices are similar, and a description of one will thereforesufiice for both. Referring particularly to the biasing device 32, thisbiasing device comprises a rod or bolt 34 supported at one end in a wallof the casing 11, and at the other end in an upright support 35 providedon the bottom of the casing 11. Two sleeves 36 and 3'? provided withannular flanges 36 and 3%, respectively, are slidably mounted on thebolt 34 with their flanges 35' and 37 facing each other, and positionedon the bolt between these sleeves is a coil spring 38 which biases thesesleeves to the position in which the outer end of the sleeve 36 engagesone of a pair of thrust washers 39 interposed between the sleeve and theside of the easing 11, and in which the outer end of the sleeve 37engages one of a pair of thrust washers 40 interposed between thissleeve and the support 35. Surrounding the'sleeves 86 and 3'7 and thespring 38 is a third sleeve 41 having a flange 42 at one end whichengages the outer side of the 37 of the sleeve 37, and a removableflange 43 at the other end which engages the outer side or" the flange35 of the sleeve 36. An upwardly projecting lug 44 is secured to theouter sleeve 41 as shown in Fig. 3.

The lug 44 on the biasing device 32 extends upwardly between two rollers45 and 46 which are journaled between suitable spaced lugs formed on thestar block 19, and the lug 44 on the outer sleeve of the biasing device33 similarly extends upwardly between two rollers 49 and 50 which arealso journaled between the lugs on the star block, the four rollers 45,46, 49 and 50 being disposed at the four corners of 2. rectangle. ribs44 cast on the side of casing 11.

With the biasing devices constructed and connected with the star blockin the manner just described, it will be apparent that rotation of thestar block 19 in either direction from the position shown will cause thelugs 44 on the outer sleeves of the two biasing devices 32 and 33 torotate in opposite directions, thus compressing the springs within thebiasing devices.

It follows, that when the star block has been rotated away from theposition shown, as soon as the force which caused the rotation of thestar block is removed, the springs will act to restore the star block tothe position shown.

The lugs 44 are adapted to slide along For reasons which will becomeapparent as the description proceeds, it is desirable to prevent thebiasing devices from returning the star block to the position shown attoo rapid a rate after the star block has been moved away from thisposition, without interfering with the rotation of the star block awayfrom the position shown. For this purpose, the star block is piv otallyconnected with the piston rod of a dash pot or buffing device 56, thecylinder 57 of which is pivotally attached to the right-hand wall of thecasing 11 by means of a pin 58 and a lug 59. The bufiing device 56 formsno part of my present invention, and may be of any suitable type whichwill allow free and unrestricted movement of the piston rod out of thecylinder, but which will retard movement of the piston rod into thecylinder. As here shown, this buffing device is similar in all respectsto the buffing device shown and described in Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 1,813,803, granted to William C. McWhlrter, on Nov.10, 1931, for Railway switch operating apparatus, and it is believed tobe unnecessary therefore to describe it in detail here.

Reciproca'bly mounted in the bottom of the casing 11 is a locking device60 which in the particular embodiment of my invention here i1-lustrated, comprises two spaced end memb rs 60 and 60 (see Fig. 3)connected together by means of a pair of spaced stud bolts 60 and 60 Theleft-hand end member 60 is provided on its left-hand side with anintegral rectangular locking plunger 60 while the right-hand end member60 is provided with a centrally located hole 60 The locking plunger 60is mounted to slide in a guideway 61 formed on the bottom of the casing11, and is adapted to cooperate with a lock rod L which is slidablymounted in the casing 11 at right angles to the locking plunger. Thelock rod L is of standard construction, and comprises two longitudinallyadjustable bars 63 and 64 attached at one end to the front rod 5 cf theswitch A, and provided with two registering notches 65 so disposed thatthese notches will align with the locking plunger 60 when and only whenthe switch occupies its normal extreme position in which it is shown inthe drawlocking plunger is within the notches, the switch will bepositively locked in its normal extreme position, but that when thelocking device is moved .to the position in which the locking plunger iswithdrawn from the notches in the lock rod, the switch will then beunlocked.

The bolt members 60 and 60 of the locking device 60 are slidably mountedadjacent their right-hand ends in suitable lugs 66 and 67, respectively,which project upwardly from the bottom of the main casing 11, andsurrounding each bolt member between the end member 60 and theassociated lug 66 or 67 is a partly compressed coil spring 68 whichconstantly biases the locking device 60 to its left-hand extremeposition.

A bell t er end of a rtical connecting rod '74. T connecting rod W4 isshaped as shovm, and es, in addition to the screw-threaded end whchreceives the screw jaw 73, an integral offset portion '3 which isrectangular in cross-section. This offset portion extends upw r 1y witha lit through a rectangular idewaty formed in top wall of the casing is,is provided at upper end with 9. lateral ext-e on WP which overlies andcooperates with, an annular flange 77 formed on the sliding sleeve 22directly above the squared portion 23. A two-piece collar 78 is boltedto the sliding s eeve 22 some distance above the annular flange "1''?and lateral extension '34. and extending vnwardlv from this collar is anintegral -frustro-conical hood 79 which completely encloses the upperpart of the offset portion 7% or" the conrod l and the annular flangeZ7, thus tecting these parts from dirt, moisture, snow,

etc.

The lower end 74 of the oifset portion 74 of the connecting rod 7%overlies and cooperates w a cam member 80 formed integrally with thestar bl ck This cam member has a semicircular periphery and its uppersurface curves downwardly from each end toward the center, as shown in2. Only one half of th s cam member is visible in 2, because the otherctly back of the half shown, but the isle is similar to the half A richis visible.

e parts are so proportioned that when the .lCll"$ sleeve 22 occupies itslowermost position, star block l occupies the position to biased by thebiasing devices 32 and ngs, the connecting rod t is of the connectingrod will engage the no" do i the annular flange '77, the lower end 7portion 749 will engage the upi the cam member 89 at the lowest camface, and the bell crank lever 69 rotated to a position in which therounded po. con would engage the left-hand side of the end member Go oithe locking device 69 if the locking de ice were then moved to itsextreme left-hand position by the biasing springs 68.

The locking device 60, in addition to being operatively connected withthe shding sleeve 22 and the star block 19 in the manner just described,is also operatively connected with the previously described tie rod 8 bymeans of linkage which we will now describe.

As here shown, linkage includes a plunger bolt 81 (see 2) which extendswith some clearance through the hole 80 in the end memher of the lockingdevice 6:), and the head of which bolt cooperates with the left-handside the end member 60 The threaded right-h nd end of the plunger bolt81 is adjustabl con nected by means of a turn buckle 82 (see 1) with oneend of a link 83, the other end of which link is pivotally connectedwith the long arm 84 of a bell crank lever 84. The bell n's; love 84 ispivot-ally supported in a crank s r 85, and has its short arm 8 1pivotally connected with one end of an operating rod 86. The other endof the operating rod 86 is connected with previously described tie rod 8by of a standard switch basket 87.

The tie rod 8 may be located at any 5 able location, but will bepreferably located approximately halfway ietween the and the poit of theswitch. The base 83 of the crank stand 85 is secured both to a gageplate 89 and to the bed plate 15 upon which the mechanism 3 is mounted,and it will be apparent, therefore, that any loss of adjustment betweenthe parts due to creepage of the ties is prevented.

For reasons which will be made clear presently, the extreme position towhich the lcclring plunger 60 is movable within the notches in the lockrod L is beyond the normal locking position in which it is shown in thedrawings, and the linkage connecting the locking device with the tie rod8 is so adjusted that when the switch occupies its normal extremeposition, the head of the plunger bolt 81 will engage the end men r 60when the locking plunger has been moved to its locking position and willprevent the locking plunger from moving beyond its, locking position.

The auxliary casing 12 referred to hereinbefore houses a circuitcontroller 0 in such manner that this circuit controller can be added toor removed from the remainder of the switch operating apparatus withoutdisturbing the remainder of the switch operating apparatus. The detailsof construction of this circuit controller are similar in all respectsto those of the circuit controller described and claimed in thecopending application for Letters Patent or" the United States, SerialNo. 651,933, filed Jan. 16, 1933, by Herbert L. Bone, for Railway switchcircuit controllers, and in themselves form no part of my presentinvention, except in so far as they are used in combination with therest of the apparatus. Briefly, this circuit controller includes twoseparate sets of contacts, one set of which is usually referred to asplunger lock contacts and the other set of which is usually referred toas point detector contacts. The plunger look contacts are eachdesignated the reference characters 9091 and are all controlled by acontact operating member 92 pivotally attached to one end of a rockerarm 93, which rocker arm, in turn, is pivoted in mediate its ends on afixed pin 94:, and is provided in the end opposite to the operatingmember 92 with a cam slot 95 and with a cam face 95 which cooperateswith a roller 96 mounted in the upper end or" a bracket 97 secured tothe 1 25' upper face of the locking plunger 68. When the locking device60 occupies its locking position, in which position it is shown in thedrawings, the roller 96 engages the cam slot 95 at an offset portion 95and under these conditions, the rocker arm 93 is rotated to an extrerneposition iii-which the plunger lock contacts 90-91 are all closed. When,however, the locking device 69 is moved in either direction from itsnormal locking position, the roller 96 is forced out of the offsetportion 95 of the cam slot 95, and the rocker arm 93 is then rotated toanother extreme position in which the plunger lock contacts 90--91 areall open.

The point detector contacts of the circuit controller C are eachdesignated by the reference characters 989Z- and are all controlled by acontact operating member 100 provided with a roller 161 which cooperateswith a recess 102 for: is. in a point detector rod D. The point de-"ector rod D is slidably mounted in the casing 12 transversely thereofand is attached at one end by means of a linl: 103 and abclt member 104to the movable rail 2 of the switch A in the usual and well-knownmanner. The recess 102 in the point detector rod D is so positioned thatit will align with the roller 101 when and only when the switch occupiesits normal position and the movable rail 2 is gainst the associatedfixed rail 1, and the parts are so proportioned that when the recess 102aligns with the roller 101, this roller will enter the notch, therebypermitting the contact operating member 100 to rotate by gravity to aposition in which it is I out of engagement with the contact fingers 99of the point detector contacts, thus causing these contacts to close byvirtue of the inherent resiliency of the contact fingers 99. When,however, the roller 101 is forced out of the recess 1 32 in 1 he pointdetector rod D, the contact operating member 109 will then be positivelyrotated to the position in which the point detector contacts 98-99become opened.

The circuit controller C further comprises lock mechanisrn whereby, ifthe roller 101 is forced out of the recess 102 in the point detector rodD, when the locking device 60 occupies any position in which the lockingplunger 60 is within the notches 65 in the lock rod L, the pointdetector contacts will, after becoming opened in the manner previouslydescribed, subsequently be held open until the latch mechanism ismanually operated to permit these contacts to again become closed. Theplunger lock contacts and point detector contacts of circuit controller0 may be used to control signals governing traffic over switch A in awell-known manner.

The operation of the apparatus as a whole is as follows: As shown in thedrawings, the movjahle rails of the switch are in their normal extremepositions, and the hand lever 27 is locked in its depending position bymeans of the padlock 51. Under these conditions, the sliding sleeve 22is held in its lowermost position on the inner sleeve 21, and the starblock 19 is accordingly connected with the switch actuating shaft 16 sothat the biasing devices 32 and 33 are effective to hold the movablerails of the switch in their normal positions. Furthermore, under theseconditions, the connecting rod 74 is held by gravity in its lowermostposition, and the locking device 69 is held in its locking position bythe biasing springs 68. As was previously pointed out, when the lockingdevice 0ccupies its locking position, the movable rails of the switchare locked in their normal position and the plunger lock contacts 9091of circuit controller C are closed. Point detector rod D occupies theposition in which the recess 102 aligns with the roller 101, and thepoint detector contacts 98-99 of circuit controller C are therefore alsoclosed. Since both the point detector and plunger lock contacts ofcircuit con-- troller C are closed, the signals governing trafiicoverswitch A would display a proceed indication, thereby indicating that themovable rails are in their proper normal positions and are properlylocked in these positions for main line traffic over the switch.

We will now assume that it is desired to reverse switch A. To do this,padlock 51 is first removed from the hole 52 in the lug 52 to unlock thehand lever 27, and the hand lever 27 is then raised to its horizontalposition. This preliminary movement of the hand lever raises the slidingsleeve 22 from its lowermost position in which it is shown in thedrawings to its uppermost position, and as was previously described,when the sliding sleeve is moved to its uppermost position, the squaredportion 23 on the lower end of this sleeve becomes disengaged from thesocket 24 in the upper end of the star block 19, thus disconnecting thestar block, and hence the biasing devices 32 and 33 and the bufiingdevice 56 from the switch actuating shaft, so that the switch actuatingshaft is then free to rotate without any opposition from the biasing andbumng devices. Furthermore, when the sliding sleeve 22 is moved to itsuppermost position, the annular flange 77 on the lower end of thissleeve cooperates with the lateral extension 74 on the connecting rodTate move the connecting rod is to its uppermost position, and thismovement of the connecting rod, in turn, acts through the bell cranklever 69, to move the locking device 60 from its normal locking positionin which it is shown in the drawings to a position in which the lockingplunger 60 is completely Withdrawn from the notches in the lock rod L,thus unlocking the a switch, and at the same time actuating rocker arm93 of circuit controller C to open the plunger lock contacts 90-91 ofthe circuit controller. The biasing and bumng devices now beingdisconnected from the switch actuating shaft and the switch beingunlocked, the hand lever is next rotated, in the horizontal plane whichit then occupies, through an angle of approximately 90 in acounter-clockwise direction. This intermediate movement of the handlever rotates the switch actuating shaft 16 to the ex treine positionopposite to that in which it is shown in the drawings, thereby reversingthe movable rails of the switch in the manner previously described. Assoon as the movable rails start to move to their reverse positions,recess 102 in point detector rod D moves out of alignment with roller101 thus opening the point detector contacts 90-91 of circuit controllerC. Furthermore, as the movable rails move to their reverse positions,the linkage which connects the locking device 60 with the tie rod 8 isactuated in such manner that the plunger bolt 81 is moved toward theright, and as soon as the plunger bolt has moved as far as the lockingdevice was previously moved by the bell crank lever 69, the plunger boltwill engage the end member 60 of the locking device 60, and during thebalance of the movement of the plunger bolt, the locking device will bemoved with the plunger bolt, so that when the switch reaches its fullreverse position, the locking device will be moved to its extremeright-hand position. The switch points now being fully reversed, thehand lever 27 is next restored to its depending position. This finalmovement of the hand lever, of course, restores the sliding sleeve 22 toits lowermost position, thus reconnecting the star block 19 with theswitch actuating shaft, and at the same time permitting the connectingLovdssd rod 7.4 to return by gravity to its lowermost position. Afterthe hand lever has been restored to its depending position, it may, ifdesired, be relocked in this position by again inserting the padlock 51in thehole 52 in the lug 52.

If, when the switch has been moved to its reverse position in a mannerjust described, it is desired to restore the switch to its normal po-'sition, the hand lever 27 is first raised to its horizontal position,and is then rotated in a clockwise direction through an angle of 90 asviewed in Fig. 1, and is finally restored to-its depending position andrelocked in this posi tion. The operation of the various parts of theapparatus under these conditions is just the reverse or" thatdescribedabove, and will be readily understood from the foregoing andfrom an inspection of the drawings without further description.

We will now assume that the parts are in their normal positions, asshown in the drawings, and that a train trails the switch. As theleading wheels of the train'roll along the fixed rail 1 and the movablerail 2 the movable rails 2 and 2 ar forced over laterally, but before asufficient force is developed at the points of these rails to'overcomethe opposing force of the biasing devices 32 and 33 and cause the pointof the movable rail 2 to move out of engagement with the fixed rail 1,the movable rails, being somewhat resilient, become bent, so that withthe usual standard split switch, the tie rod 8 will be moved upwardly,as viewed in Fig. l, three-fourths of an inch or more. This movement ofthe tie rod 8 acting through the switch basket 87, operating rod 86,bell crank lever 8' link and plunger bolt 81, moves the looking devicein opposition to the bias 'ofthe springs 63, a sufficient amount tocompletely withdraw the locking plunger 63 from engagement with thenotches in the lock rod L, thus unlo 1g the switch. As a result, whenthe leading eels of the train have reached the position in sufllcientforce is developed at the points of the movable rails to cause the pointof the movable rail 2 to move out of engagement with the fixed rail 1,the movable rails will be unlocked, and the rails will therefore beforced away from their normal positions by the wheels of the train inexactly the same manner as they would be if no point lock were provided.The movement of the movable rails away from their normal positions, actsthrough the operating rod 9 and crank 17 to rotate the shaft 16 in a qcounter-clockwise direction, and this rotation the shaft 16, in turn,rotates the associated sleeves 21 and 22 and the star block 19 in thesame direction. The rotation of the star block 19 actuates the biasingdevices 32 and 33in the manner previously described, so that thesebiasing devices now tend to constantly restore the movable rails totheir normal position. The rotation of the star block 19 also actuatesthe buffing device 56 which, as was previously pointed permits free andunrestricted rotation of the star block in a direction to compress thesprings of the biasing devices 32 and 33, but cts to retard movement ofthe star block by the biasing devices. It will'be seen, therefore, thebuffing device 56 will not oppose the movement of the movable rails awayfrom their normal position, but will prevent too rapid move-. nicnt ofthe movable rails toward their normal position by thebiasing devices 32and 33, thus preventing the quick return of the movable rails to theirnormal position between the passage of the successive wheels of thetrain. The rotation of the star block 19 further causes the cam torotate, and due to the previously described shape of the cam 88, it willbe apparent that this rotation of the cam will force the connecting rodupwardly from its normal position. The parts are so proportioned thatthis upward movement of the connecting rod will rotate the bell cranklever 69 in a eountercl .ckwise direction to a position in which, if thelocking device were not already moved to an unlocking position by thelinkage which connects the locking device with the tie rod 8, the bellcrei I lever would move the locking device to a 100s. on in which thelocking plunger 69 of the lo ng evice would be just clear the notches.15 in the lock rod L. However, since the locking device has alreadybeen moved to an unlocking position, there is no contact between thebell crank lever and the locking device under these conditions. Afterthe train has completely passed the switch, the displacing force of thewheels will, of course, be removed, and the springs of the biasingdevices will then slowly return the switch points to the position whichthey occupied before the train started to trail the switch- During thereturn movement of the movable rails the star block 19 will, of course,slowly return to the position in which it is shown in the drawings, thuspermitting the connecting rod 74 to return by gravity to its lowermostposition. Furthermore, during the r turn movement of the movable railsthe linkage which connects the locking device 60 with the tie rod 8 willpermit the biasing springs 68 to slowly return the locking device towardits locking position, and since there is no deflection of the movablerails under these conditions, the locking plunger 66 will be moved intoengagement with the side of the lock rod L before the'movable rails havereached their full normal position in which the lock rod is in theproper position for the notches -65 therein to receive the lockingplunger. ing plunger has once moved into engagement with the side of thelock rod, the locking plunger will slide along the side of the lock roduntil the notches 65 in the lock rod move into alignment with thelocking plunger, at which time, the energy stored in the compressedsprings 68 will force the locking plunger to its normal lookingposition, thus restoring the switch to its normal locked condition. Ifthe notches 65' in the lock rod L should not come into alignment withthe locking plunger under these conditions for any reason, or if thenotches should come into alignment with the locking plunger and thelinkage which connects the locking device 60 with the tie rod 8 was thenout of adjustment, so that thelocking plunger was then prevented lrommoving to its normal locking position, or was permitted to move beyondits normal locking position, plunger lock contacts 9091 of circuitcontroller C would remain open, thus causing the signals controlled bythe circuit controller to remain at danger. Furth rmore, if while thetrain was trailing the switch, the movable rail 2 should have becomebent or damaged so that when the movable rails had returned to theirnormal positions, the movable rail 2 failed to assume its properposition with respect to the fixed rail 1, the point detector contacts98 99 of circuit controller 0 would remain open, which wouldalso causethe signals As a result, after the loclrg controlled by circuitcontroller C to remain at danger. It follows, therefore, that withappaatus embodying our invention, under no condition can a dangerouscondition exist due toa train trailing the switch when the switchoccupies its normal position.

We will now assume that the switch A has been moved to its reverseposition by means of the switch operating mechanism B in the mannerpreviously described, and that a train trails the switch. Under theseconditions, as the leading wheels of the train roll along'the fixed rail1 and movable rail 2, the movable rails will become deflected in muchthe same manner as when the switch occupies its normal position and atrain trails the switch, but this deflection will now be in the oppositedirection, so that the plunger rod 81 of the linkage which connects thelocking device with the tie rod 8 will move toward the left instead oftoward the As a result, the locking device which, it i be rememberednormally occupies its extreme right-hand position when the switchoccupies its reverse position and no train is trailthe switch, will nowbe moved toward its locking position by the biasing springs 68 a certainamount, which amount may be sufficient to allow locking plunger 60 tomove into engagement with the side of lock rod L. This movement of thelocking device, however, will not cause the locking plunger to enter thenotches in the lock rod L because when this movement takes place, thenotches 65 in the lock rod will then be out of alignment with thelocking plunger. As the movable rails are forced open, shaft 16, sleeves2i and 22, and star block 19 are rotated toward the positioncorresponding to the normal position of the switch, and lock rod L islikewise moved toward the position corresponding to the normal positionof the switch. The rotation of the star block 19 actuates the biasingdevices 32 and 33 and the buffing device 56 in the manner previouslydescribed so that the biasing devices now tend to constantly return themovable rails toward their reverse positions but are prevented fromdoing so at too rapid a rate by the bufiing device 56. Furthermore, therotation of the star block 19 causes cam to force connecting rod 74upwardly in the same manner as when the switch was trailed in the normalposition, it being apparent, of course, that under these conditions themovement of the connecting rod is caused by the side of the cam oppositeto that which caused the connecting rod to move upwardly while the trainwas trailing the switch when the switch occupied its normal position. Asa result of this upward movement of the connecting red, bell crank lever69 is rotated a counter-clockwise direction to such a position that itengages the left-hand side of the and member 60 of locking device 60 andmoves the locking device to a position in which the locking plunger 60is out of engagement with the side of lock rod L. It will be seen,therefore, that under these conditions, even though the switch is forcedto its full normal position by the trailing train, thus causing thenotches 65 in the lock rod L to move into alignment with the lockingplunger, the locking plunger cannot move to its locking position. Itfollows that with apparatus embodying our invention it is impossible forthe switch to become locked in its normal position if it is moved to itsnormal position from its reverse position by a trailing train. After thetrain has completely trailed the switch the biasing devices will slowlyreturn the movable rails to their reverse positions through themedium ofthe star block 19 and switch actuating shaft 16, and as the star block19 returns to its reverse position, connnecting rod 74 will slowlyreturn by gravity to its lowermost position. Locking plunger 60 however,will remain out of engagement with lock rod L, because as the switchpoints return to their reverse positions, there will be no deflection ofthe movable rails, and the resultant operation or" the linkage whichconnects the locking device with the tie rod 8 will slowly restore thelocking device to its extremeright-hand position. When the rails havereached their full reverse positions, all parts will thenoccupy the samepositions as they occupied before the train started to trail the switch.

One advantage of apparatus embodying our invention is that it providesan extremely simple means for permitting the switch to become locked inits normal position when it is moved to its normal position by theswitch operating mechanism, and at the same time prevents thepossibility of the switch becoming improperly locked in its normalposition when the switch is moved to its normal position from itsreverse position by a train trailing the switch.

, Although we have herein shown and described only one form of railwayswitch operating apparatus embodying our invention, it is understoodthat various changes and modifications may be made therein within thescope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scopeof our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In combination with a railway switch, a

switch actuating shaft movable between two eX- 1 treme positions andoperatively connected with the switch for moving the switch between itsnormal and reverse positions, a star block rotatable about said shaft,means connected with said star block for biasing said star block to oneposition and for retarding movement of said star block by said biasingmeans, a manually operablc lever rotatable in two planes, meansresponsive to rotationof said lever in one of said planes for rotatingsaid switch actuating shaft between its two extreme positions, meansresponsive to rotation of said lever in the other plane for connectingand disconnecting said star block from said switch actuating shaft, alock .rod connected with the switch to move therewith and provided witha notch, a locking plunger adapted to align with the notch in said lockrod when and only when the switch occupies its normal position andmovable between a locking position in which said locking plunger entersthe notch in said lock rod and an unlocking positionin which saidlocking plunger is withdrawn from the notch in said lock rod, means forconstantly biasing said locking plunger to its locking position, meansfor movsaid switch actuating shaft for preventing said locking plungerfrom moving to its locking position in the event that the switch ismoved to its normal position from its reverse position by a trailingtrain.

2. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaftmovable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with theswitch for moving the switch between its normal and reverse positions, astar block rotatable about said shaft, means connected with said starblock for biasing said star block to one position and for retardingmovement of said star block by said biasing means, a menu-- allyoperable lever rotatable in two planes, means responsive to rotation ofsaid lever in one of said planes for rotating said switch actuatingshaft between its two extreme positions, means responsive to rotation ofsaid lever the other plane for connecting and disconnecting star blockfrom said switch actuating shaft, a lock rod connected with the switchto'imove therewith and provided with a notch, a locking plunger adaptedto with the notch in said loci: rod when and only when the switch occui'5 normal position and movable between a locking position in which saidlocking plunge enters the notch in said lock rod and an unlockingposition in which said locking plunger is withdrawn from the notch insaid lock rod, means for constantly biasing said locking plunger to itslocking position, means for moving said lo k ng plunger to its unlockingposi tion in opposition to its bias whenever said star block becomesdisconnected from said switch actuating shaft, means connected with saidlooking plunger and adapted to be actuated by a train trailing theswitch when the switch occupies its normal position for moving saidlockplunger from its locking to its unlocking po- 11, a cam actuated inresponse to rotation of said block, and means controlled by said cam"for preventing said locking plunger from moving to its locking positionin the event that the switch moved to its normal position from reverseposition by a trailing t; in.

3. In combination with a railway switch, a s ch operating m hanismcasing, a star block jou naled in said casing, means connected with saidstar block for biasing said star block to 01 2 position and forretarding movement or" said star bio-cl: by said biasing means, a switchactuating shaft jcurnaled in said star block and in said casing andoperatively connected with said switch in such manner that said switchmay be moved between its normal and reverse positions by rotation ofsaid shaft between two extreme positions, a sleeve constrained to rotatewith said shaft but slidable along said shaft beta con a first and asecond position, means effective when said sl eve occupi s said firstposition for connecting said shaft with said star block, a manuallyoperable lever pivotally attached to said shaft and operativelyconnected with said sleeve in such manner that said sleeve maybe movedbetween its two positions on said shaft by rotation of said lever aboutits pivot and that said shaft may be rotated between its two extremepositions by rotation of said lever about the axis of said shaft, a lockrod connected with the switch and extending into said casing andprovided with a notch, a locking plunger adapted to ali n with saidnotch when and only when the switch occupies its normal position andmovable between a locking position in which said locking plunger enterssaid notch and an unlocking position in w rich said locking plunger isout of engagement with said notch, means for constantly biasing saidlocking plunger to its locking position, means controlled saidsleeve formoving said locking plunger to its unlocking position when sleeve ismoved to its second posi'on means actuated by a train trailing the i: onv ion the Si tch occupies its normal position for me rig said lockingplunger from its locking position to unlocking position, and

controlled by said star block for preventinr said lo g longer frommoving to its locking p05; 1 1 the event that the switch is moved to itsnormal position from its reverse c a with sing saw. star block to oneinov rnent or" said 5 ar block by so ating eh.

.ected with said w -h may be switch in such moved b two extreme te withsaid connecting and a sec-on sleeve occu lever piv hed to tively connecwith eve may he i lever vt and that sal rotated be en its two rotationof said lever r lock rod connected wit tending said c ch, a locking itstwo p ""i a M ed to align with ion the switch occuniova le between lock1g lunger ch aid loclri "tn notch, r ror constan ly biasing said lockingplunger to its locking position, me: is controlled by said sl to itsunloc' moved to its seco n sting the movable ra and a trail locking .lun

unlocking no and i c 1 a said star block for preventing said lockingplunger m moving to its 1 position in the event that the switch moved toits normal position from its reverse position by a'train trailing theswitch.

5. In combination. with a railway switch, a swi ch operating mecha incasing, a star block journal d in said casing, means connected with saidstar block for biasing said star block to one position and star block bysaid biasing means, a switch actuating shaft iournaled star block and insaid casing, and operatively connected with said swltcl in such mannerthat said switch may be moved between its normal and reverse positionsby rotation of said shaft between two extreme positions, a sleeveconstrained to rotate with said shaft but slidable along said shaftbetween a and a second position, means effective when said sleeveoccupies said first position for connecting said shaft with said starblock, a manually operable lever pivotally attached to said shaft andoperatively connected with said sleeve in such manner that said sleevemay be moved between its two positions on said shaft by rotation of saidlever about its pivot and that said shaft may be rotated between its twoextreme positions by rotation of said lever about the axis of th shaft,a look rod connected with the switch and extending into said casing androvided with a notch, a locking plunger adapted to align with said notchwhen and only when the switch occupies its normal position and movablebetween a locking position in which said locking plunger enters saidnotch and an unlock ing position in which said locking plunger is out ofengagement with said notch, means for constantly biasing s id lockingplunger to its locl ing position, a connecting rod biased to oneposition, means for moving said connecting rod away from said oneposition when said sleeve is moved to its second position, meanscontrolled by said star block for moving said connecting rod away fromsaid one position when said star block is moved away from its oneposition, means controlled by said connecting rod and effective whensaid connecting rod is moved away from its one position for moving saidlocking plunger from its looking to its unlocking position, and meansactuated by a train trailing the switch when the switch occupies itsnormal position for moving said locking plunger from its lockingposition to its unlocking position until after the train has completelypassed the switch.

6. In combination with a railway switch, a switch operating mechanismcasing, a star block journaled in said casing, means connected with saidstar block for biasing said star block to one position and for retardingmovement of said star block by said biasing means, a switch actuatingshaft journaled in said star block and in said casing and operativelyconnected with said switch in such manner that said switch may be movedbetween its normal and reverse pos ions by rotation of said shaftbetween two extreme positions, a sleeve constrained to rotate with saidshaft but slidable along said shaft between a first and a secondposition, means eiiective when said sleeve occupies said first positionfor connecting said shaft with said star block, a manually operablelever pivotally attached to said shaft and operatively connected withsaid sleeve in such manner that said sleeve may be moved between its twopositions on said shaft by rotation of said lever about its pivot andthat said shaft may be rotate-d between its two extreme positions byrotation of said lever about the axis of the shaft, a lock rod connectedwith the switch and extending into said casing and provided with anotch, a locking plunger adapted to align with said notch when and onlywhen the switch occupies its normal position and movable between alocking position in which said locking plunger enters said notch and anunlocking position in which said locking plunger is out of engagementwith said notch, means for constantly biasing said locking plunger toits looking position, a connecting rod biased to one position, a flangeon said sleeve, means cooperating with said flange for moving saidconnecting" rod away from said one position when said sleeve is moved toits second position, means controlled by said star block for movingconnecting rod away from said one position when said star block is movedaway from its one position, means controlled by said connecting rod andeiiective when said connecting rod is moved away from its one positionfor moving said locking plunger from its locking to its unlockingposition, and means actuated by a train trailing the switch when theswitch occupies its normal position for moving said locking plunger fromits looking position to its unlocking position until after the train hascompletely passed the switch.

7. In combination with a railway switch, a switch operating mechani mcasing, a star block journaled in said casing, means connected with saidstar block for biasing said star block to one position and for retardingmovement of said star block by said biasing means, a switch actuatingshaft journaled in said star block and in said casing and operativelyconnected with said switch in such manner that said switch 1 may bemoved between its normal and reverse positions by rotation of said shaftbetween two extreme positions, a sleeve constrained to rotate with saidshaft but slidable along said shaft between a first and a secondposition, means effective when said sleeve occupies said first positionfor connecting said shaft with said star block, a manually operablelever pivotally attached to said shaft and operatively connected withsaid sleeve in such manner that said sleeve may be moved between its twopositions on said shaft by rotation of said lever about its pivot andthat said shaft may be rotated between its two extreme positions byrotation of said lever about the axis of the shaft, a lock rod connectedwith the switch and extending into said casing and provided with anotch, a locking plun er adapted to align with said notch when and onlywhen the switch occupies its normal position and movable between alocking position in which said locking plunger enters said notch and anunlocking position in which said locking plunger is out of engagementwith said notch, means for constantly biasing said locking plunger toits locking position, a connecting rod biased to one position, means formoving said connecting rod away from said one position when said starblock moved to its second position, a cam secured to said star block,means controlled by said cam for moving connecting rod away from saidone position when said star block is moved away from its one position,means controlled by connecting rod and effective when said connectingrod is moved away from its one position for moving said locking plungefrom its looking to its unlocking position, and 1.-eans actuated by atrain trailing the switch when the switch occupies its normal positionfor moving said locking plunger from its locking position to its 2unlocking position until after the train has completely passed theswitch.

8. In combination with a railway switch, a switch operating mechanismcasing, star block joumaled in said casing, means connected with saidcasing and operatively connected with said switch'in such manner thatsaid switch may be moved between its normal and reverse positions byrotation of said shaft between two extreme positions, a sleeveconstrained to rotate with said'shaft but slidable along said shaftbetween a first and a second position, means efiective when said sleeveoccupies said first position for connecting said shaft with said starblock,- a manually operable lever pivotally attached to said shaft andoperatively connected with said sleeve in such manner that said sleevemay be moved between its two positions on said shaft by rotation of saidlever about its pivot and that said shaft may be rotated between its twoextreme positions by rotation of said lever about the axis of the shaft,a lock rod connected with the switch and extending into said casing andprovided with a notch, a-locxing plunger adapted to align with saidnotch when and only when the switch occupies its normal position andmovable between a-locking position in which said locking plunger enterssaid notchand an unlockirs position in which said locking plunger is outof engagement with said notch, means for constantly biasing said lockingplunger to its locking position, means controlled by said sleeve 1' rmoving said locking plunger to its unlocking position when said sleeveis moved to its second position, means actuated. by a train trailing theswitch when the switch occupies its normal position for moving saidlocking plunger from its locking position to its unlocking position, acam secured to said star block, and means controlled by said forpreventing said locking plunger from moving to its locking position inthe event that the switch is moved to its normal position from itsreverse position by a train trailing the switch.

9. In combination with a railway switch, a switch operating mechanismcasing, a star block journaled said casing, means connected with saidstar block for biasing said star block to one position and for retardingmovement of said star block by said biasing means, a switchactuatin'g'shaft journaled in said star blockand in said casing andoperatively connected with said switch in such manner that said switchmay be moved between its normal and reverse positions by rotation ofsaid shaft between two extreme positions, a sleeve constrained to rotatewith said shaft but slidable along said shaftbetween a first and asecond position, means effective when said sleeve occupies said firstposition for connecting said shaft with said star block, a manuallyoperable lever pivotally attached to said shaft and operativelyconnected with said sleeve in such manner that said sleeve may be movedbetween its two positions on said shaft by rotation of said lever aboutits pivot and that said shaft may be rotated between its two extremepositions by rotation of said lever about the axis of the shaft, a lockrod connected with the switch and extending into said casing andprovided with a notch, a locking plunger adapted to align with saidnotch when and only when the switch occupies its normal position andmovable between a locking position in which said locking plunger enterssaid notch and an unlocking position in which said locking plunger isout of engagement with said notch, means for constantly biasing saidlocking plunger to its locking position, means controlled by said sleevefor moving said locking plunger to its unlocking position when saidsleeve is moved to its second position, a tie rod connecting the movablerails of the switch at a point approximatelyhalfway between the heel andthe point of the switch, linkage connecting said tie. rod and saidlooking device and efiective when the switch occupies its normalposition and a train trails the switch for moving said locking plungerfrom its locking position to its unlocking position, a cam secured tosaid star block, and means controlled by said cam from preventing saidlocking plunger from moving to its locking position in the event thatthe switch is moved to its normal position from its reverse position bya train trailing the'switch.

10. In combination with a railwayswitch, a switch operating mechanismcasing, a star block'journaled in said casing, means connected with saidstar block for biasing said star block to one position and for retardingmovement of said star block by said biasing means, a switch actuatingshaft journaled in said star block and in said casing and operativelyconnected with said switch in such manner that said switch may be movedbetween its normal and reverse positions by rotation of said shaftbetween two extreme positions, a sleeve constrained to rotate with saidshaft but slidable along said shaft between a first and a secondposition, means effective when said sleeve occupies said first positionfor connecting said shaft with said star block, a manually operablelever pivotally attached to said shaft and operatively connected withsaid sleeve in such manner that said sleeve may be moved between its twopositions on said shaft by rotation of said lever about its pivot andthat said shaft may be rotated between its two extreme positions byrotation of said lever about the axis of the shaft, a lock rod connectedwith the switch and extending into said casing and provided with anotch. a locking plunger adapted to align with said notch when andonlywhen the switch occupies its normal position and movable between alooking position in which said locking plunger enters said notch and anunlocking position in which said locking plunger is out of engagementwith said notch, means for constantly biasing said locking plunger toits locking position, means controlled by said sleeve for moving saidlocking plunger to its unlocking position when said sleeve is moved toits second position, means actuated by a train trailing the switch whenthe switch occupies its normal position for moving said locking plungerirom its locking position to its unlocking position, and means forpreventing said locking plunger from moving to its locking positionexcept when said star block occupies said one position.

11. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaftmovable between two extreme positions and operatively connected with theswitch for moving the switch between its normal and reverse positions,means for 1-0 tating said switch actuating shaft between its two extremepositions, means effective when said switch actuating shaft is rotatedto either extreme position by said first mentioned means for connectingwith said shaft means for biasing the shaft to the position which itthen occupies and means for retarding movement of said shaft by saidbiasing means, means for locking the switch in its normal positionconstantly biased to a locking position, means for actuating saidlocking means from its-locking position to an unlocking position priorto movement of the switch from its normal position to its reverseposition by said switch actuating shaft, means actuated by a trainapproaching the switch in a trailing direction when said locking meansoccupies its locking position for actuating said locking means to anunlocking position until after thejtrain has trailed the switch, andmeans controlled by said switch actuating shaft for preventing saidlocking means from moving to its locking position if said switch ismoved to its normal position from its reverse'position by, a traintrailing the switch.

12. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuatingshaftmovable between two extreme positions and operatively connectedwith the switch fornmoving the switch between its normal and reversepositions, means for rotating said switch actuating shaft, between itstwo extreme positions, means effective when said switch actuating shaftis rotated to either extreme position by said first mentioned means forconnecting with said shaft means for biasing the shaft to the positionwhich it then occupies, means for locking the switch in'its normalposition constantly biased to a locking position, means for actuatingsaid locking means from its locking 1 position to an unlocking positionprior, to movement of the switch from its normal position to its reverseposition by said switch actuating shaft, means actuated by a trainaproaching the switch in a trailing direction when said jlocking meansoccupies its locking position for actuating said locking means to anunlocking position until after the train has trailed the switch, andmeans controlled by said switch actuating shaft for preventing saidlocking de- 1 vice from moving to its locking position if said switch ismoved to its normal position from its reverse position by atraintrailing the switch.

13. In combination with a spring switch, means. including a switchactuating shaft for moving the switch between its two extreme positions,locking mechanism for locking the switch in one extreme positionconstantly biased to a locking position, a cam actuated by said shaftwhen a train trails the switch, and means conj trolled by said cam forpreventing said locking mechanism from moving to its locking position inthe event the switch is movedto said one extreme position from its otherextreme position by a train trailing the switch.

14. In combination with a spring switch, means including a switchactuating shaft for moving the switch between its normal and reversepositions, locking means for said switch constantly biased to a lockingposition and eifective when in its locking position for locking theswitch in its normalposition, means for operating said locking meansfrom its locking position to an unlocking position prior to movement ofsaid switch from its normal position to its reverse position by saidfirst mentioned means, means actuated by a train approaching the switchin a trailing direction when the switch occupies its normal position foroperating said locking means from its locking position to an unlockingposition until after the train has completely trailed the switch, andmeans controlled by said switch actuating shaft for preventing saidlocking means from moving to its locking position in the event theswitch is moved to its normal position from its reverse position by atrain trailing the switch.

15. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaftrotatable between two extreme positions and operatively connected withthe switch formoving the switch between its normal and reversepositions, manually operable means for-rotating said shaft between itstwo extreme positions, a star block, means for biasing said star blockto one position, means controlled by said manually operable means fornormally connecting said star block with said shaft except while saidshaft is being rotated from one extreme position to the other by saidmanually operable means, locking mechanism for locking the switch in itsnormal position constantly biased to a locking position, and meanscontrolled by said star block for preventing said locking mechanism frommoving to its locking position in the event that the switch is moved toits normal position from its reverse position by a train trailing theswitch.

16. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaftrotatable between two extreme positions and operatively connected withthe switch for moving the switch between its normal and reversepositions, manually operable means for rotating said shaft between itstwo extreme positions, a star block, means for biasing said star blockto one position, means controlled by said manually operable means fornormally connecting said star block with said shaft except while saidshaft is being moved from one extreme position to the other by saidmanually operable means, locking mechanism for locking the switch in itsnormal position constantly biased to a locking position, a cam securedto said star block, and means controlled by said cam for preventing saidlocking mechanism from moving to its locking position in the event thatthe switch is moved to its normal position from its reverse position bya train trailing the switch.

17. In combination with a railway switch, a switch actuating shaftmovable between two extreme positions and operatively comiected with theswitch for moving the switch between its normal and reverse positions, astar block rotatable about said shaft, means connected with said starblock for biasing said star block to one position, a manually operablelever rotate able in two planes, means responsive to rotation of saidlever in one of said planes for rotating said switch actuating shaftbetween its two extreme positions, means responsive to rotation of saidlever in the other plane forconnecting and disconnecting said star blockfrom said switch actuating shaft, locking mechanism for locking theswitch in its normal position constantly biased to a locking position,means for actuating said locking mechanism from its looking position toan unlocking position whenever said star block becomes disconnected fromsaid switch actuating shaft, means actuated by a train approaching theswitch in a trailing direction when the switch occupies its normalposition for actuating said locking mechanism from its locking positionto an unlocking position until after the train has completely passed theswitch, and means controlled by said star block for preventing saidlocking mechanism from moving to its locking position in the event thatsaid switch is moved to its normal position from its reverse position bya train trailing the

